What eats phytoplankton in the Indian ocean?

What eats phytoplankton in the Indian ocean?

In the ocean, phytoplankton are the first course in the food chain. Jellyfish, which are actually large plankton themselves, eat phytoplankton. The microalgae are also nourishment for krill and zooplankton.

Where in the ocean do most phytoplankton live?

Most phytoplankton are buoyant and float in the upper part of the ocean, where sunlight penetrates the water.

What ocean zone is phytoplankton?

photic zone
Phytoplankton live in the photic zone of the ocean, where photosynthesis is possible.

Are phytoplankton only found in saltwater?

There are two main types of plankton: phytoplankton, which are plants, and zooplankton, which are animals. Zooplankton and other small marine creatures eat phytoplankton and then become food for fish, crustaceans, and other larger species. Plankton can be found in saltwater and freshwater.

What animals rely on phytoplankton?

Phytoplankton and algae form the bases of aquatic food webs. They are eaten by primary consumers like zooplankton, small fish, and crustaceans. Primary consumers are in turn eaten by fish, small sharks, corals, and baleen whales.

Does phytoplankton produce oxygen?

Discuss Earth’s oxygen resources. The ocean produces oxygen through the plants (phytoplankton, kelp, and algal plankton) that live in it. These plants produce oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis, a process which converts carbon dioxide and sunlight into sugars the organism can use for energy.

How do plankton help humans?

Through their birth, growth, death and decay, plankton create global carbon. Half of the oxygen bubbling out of phytoplankton is floating in the seas. Plankton are devoured in vast numbers and are the vital first link in the oceanic food chain. …

Which ocean zone has the most nutrients?

When organisms die, they sink and take their minerals with them to the bottom where the minerals are released by decomposers. Consequently, cold deep ocean water is often much higher in essential mineral nutrients than surface waters where primary production depletes them.

Who eats phytoplankton?

zooplankton
Phytoplankton and algae form the bases of aquatic food webs. They are eaten by primary consumers like zooplankton, small fish, and crustaceans. Primary consumers are in turn eaten by fish, small sharks, corals, and baleen whales.

Is plankton harmful or helpful?

Not all algal blooms are harmful, some can actually be beneficial. Phytoplankton are found at the base of the marine food chain therefore all other life in the ocean relies on phytoplankton. Blooms can also be a good indicator of environmental change not only in the water, but also on land.

Do shrimps eat phytoplankton?

The shrimp have little in the way of locomotion and are very small, so they eat other small things that are floating with them, mainly algae and plankton. Farmed and aquarium shrimp subsist mainly on algae and any plants that may have been planted to add some variety to their diet.

Is there a decrease in phytoplankton in the Indian Ocean?

Earlier studies had described the western Indian Ocean as a region with the largest increase in phytoplankton during the recent decades. On the contrary, the current study points out an alarming decrease of up to 20% in phytoplankton in this region over the past six decades.

Where are the largest concentrations of marine phytoplankton blooms?

Among the tropical oceans, the western Indian Ocean hosts one of the largest concentrations of marine phytoplankton blooms in summer.

How does marine phytoplankton contribute to the global food web?

Marine phytoplankton plays a central role in global biogeochemical cycles [ Field et al ., 1998 ], forms the base of the marine food web [ Chassot et al ., 2010 ], and regulates the global climate [ Murtugudde et al ., 2002; Sabine et al ., 2004 ].

Are there positive SST trends in the Indian Ocean?

In the sensitivity experiment, positive SST anomalies similar to those in the observed SST trends were added to the Indian Ocean and the biophysical response is evaluated (see Text S3 for details).